How to Increase Website Conversion Rates

A topic of discussion amongst website owners is always how to best increase website conversion rates. How can you turn more site visitors from browsers into buyers or subscribers? Some things are just common sense, such as collecting their contact information so you can reach out to them again. Other things may not be as obvious when first looking at your site’s stats. 

Start by understanding what better website conversion looks like for your brand. Do you want to increase sales, brand awareness or collect leads? Knowing your end goals for your website helps you figure out ways to improve your process. 

What Are the Most Effective Ways to Increase Your Conversion Rate?

While there are thousands of schools of thought on how to best increase website conversion rates, not all ideas result in actual improvements. Changes that work are ones that improve the  user experience (UX). 

Make sure your site meets the needs of your target audience. Around 80% of people feeling dissatisfied with a page go to a competitor’s website instead. Your number one goal should be to keep them on your site. 

How can you keep your users engaged and wanting to move forward in the buyer’s journey? Here are the top things you should do to increase website conversion rates.

1. Add a Popup

Popups get a bad rap with website developers, but they can help increase website conversion rates. They grab attention before the person exits your site. Most popups present an offer, such as a free book or webinar in exchange for an email. 

Get the most from your popups by making sure the look complements the rest of your color palette and offer something people want. 

2. Shorten the Form

Asking for tons of detailed information is a turnoff for busy site visitors. They may not have time to fill in all the data you want or be reluctant to share too much. Mobile uses may have a difficult time punching in extra information.

Look at your form and figure out what information you absolutely must have to move visitors to the next phase. Perhaps you only need a first name and email address. Only ask for what you need and not what you want. People are more likely to share and you’ll increase website conversion rates. 

3. Choose a Pattern

People who speak in left to right languages, read in a specific pattern. You might want to design your landing pages on an F-pattern or Z-pattern design. Start by studying heat maps of your site. What points do people touch on most frequently? Where do they click?

Once you have an idea of the natural pattern for your site, you can place your call to action (CTA) button where it’s most likely to be seen and clicked on.

Nielsen Norman Group conducted a study of the way people read on the web, even on mobile devices. They found the first, horizontal line receives the most attention on the page. However, good design can also overcome F-pattern tendencies. You can increase website conversion rates by placing your CTA across the top line, even if you also place it further down the page. 

4. Use Trust Factors

One reason people might not sign up for more information is that they don’t fully trust you as a brand. If they’ve never heard of you before, they have no reason to expect you’ll do what you say. You have to prove to them you’re trustworthy.

Some things you can do to ramp up your credibility include adding contact information, posting reviews and sharing testimonials. You should also include links to any professional associations you belong to and link to social media pages. You can increase website conversion rates by gaining site visitors’ trust. 

5. Remove Clutter

Do you have distractions that take away from the objective of the page? Cut anything that doesn’t move the user to the next phase of the buyer’s journey. You can increase website conversion rates by zoning in on the most vital aspects of the site. 

According to Internet Live Stats, approximately 1.9 billion websites exist. There is noise everywhere clamoring for consumer attention. People are tired of the constant noise of marketing, advertising, websites, radio commercials and junk mail. The onslaught never ends.

If you can hone in on the main pain point your customers face, you’ll understand why they come to your site in the first place. Offer a solution and move them through the process quickly and you’re less likely to lose them. ,

6. Offer a Guarantee

People may feel a bit nervous about risking their hard earned dollars on your product or service. What if they could try it without fear of risk, though? Offering a no questions asked, money-back guarantee may be just the extra push some people need to commit to your brand.

Make sure you place the guarantee in an easily located place. Push it as a feature of your customer service model. Explain how easy it is to claim the refund. 

Tweak Your Site

If you want to increase website conversion rates, your best bet is to tweak various elements and settings and test each one to figure out what’s working. Improving your sales funnel requires constant tweaks and adjustments. Make changes, do some A/B split testing and pay attention to what works and what doesn’t.

You could also survey your site visitors and current customers about their preferences and make decisions based on their preferences. The better your site performs, the higher your conversion rates will become.